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Horror at wave of London stabbings
Katharine Barney and Rob Singh11.07.08
The Metropolitan Police chief and the Mayor of London were today united in horror over the latest killings.
Sir Ian Blair and Boris Johnson were speaking after a 19-year-old became the 20th teenager to be killed in the capital this year and a further three men were stabbed to death.
Met Commissioner Sir Ian said the deaths were tragic and reassured the public that the police were doing all they can to rid the streets of knives.
He said: "There has been a tragic death toll from knife crime in London over a 24-hour period. Each is an absolute tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. The dreadful loss of life in just 24 hours graphically illustrates the need for everyone to pull together to put an end to the unacceptable violence"
Mr Johnson said he was appalled by the stabbings and the whole of society needed to take responsibility for tackling knife crime.
He also reiterated his support for the Evening Standard's Beat Knife Crime campaign which calls for more highprofile searches and tougher sentences.
Mr Johnson has put tackling violence among teenagers at the top of his agenda.
In May, police launched the second anti-knife crime initiative, Operation Blunt 2, under which there have been more than 1,000 arrests and 732 knives seized so far.
Last week a 75-strong Operation Blunt 2 task force was announced which searched 5,395 people and recovered 231 knives in its first four days.
Today Mr Johnson said: " I am appalled by these attacks, and would like to express my profound sadness and sympathy for the families and friends of the victims.
"Tackling violent crime is my number one priority and I'm keen to explore everything and anything which could help combat it. I am in favour of any campaign that comes up with sensible and proactive ways to rid our streets of the problem.
"We need to do all we can to address the long-term, complex root causes of violence as well as ensuring the police are providing an effective deterrent to those who carry knives and guns.
"We are in this together and we all need to take responsibility. That's why we are talking to the Government about bringing forward new measures that will help address the underlying causes of knife violence."
Hemet Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday and said he had encouraged her to develop a Youth Crime Action Plan to be announced next week.
The Mayor has also argued for tougher sentences. His remarks echo Tory leader David Cameron who said last week that anybody caught with a blade without reasonable excuse should face jail. Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority Len Duvall said police and others were doing all they could.
Latest official statistics show fewer than one in five of those caught with a blade get a custodial sentence, despite the maximum penalty doubling to four years recently. Only a handful get more than a few months in jail.
Gordon Brown announced last month that anyone over 16 caught with a knife should be prosecuted, rather than escaping with a caution.
Reader views (21)
they cary a knife so they plan on using it so there going to kill sooner or later every person caught with a knife should get life simple deport all the imagrents this country is a joke
- Jamie French, london
a lot of people here make me lagh all blameing othere things i have been a victim of knife crime my self just over 3 years ago i was left with 15 stichs in my face and the person's involed did get a way with it but any way may be socitey is partly to blame but the main person to blame is the parents at the end of day we are all born wild we are shown whats wrong and right whats bad and good do respect people and so on all from are parents so there for if parents did there job insted siting on the back side doing nothing then maybe the whole wolrd be a beter place and maybe if are crapy goverment sort out are justice system and people seve what the time they are given and more sever pentals are given out then maybe people will look twice befor comitting an offnce
- Martin, maidstone kent
As a black single parent I am quite insulted by the ignorance of this comment. Yes the majority of these stabbings in London are carried out by black youths. A lot of blame is put on single parents letting their unruly children run riot. I personally believe that this stems from environment, lack of focus and peer pressure. When these kids reach a certain age, they tend to be more influenced by their peers and environment then their parents. Gun and knife crime is prevalent in certain deprived areas of London where a lot of black children reside, but if you look at the same environments out of London you will find the same thing occuring. What parent would encourage their child to carry a knife knowing that by doing so they are endangering not only their life but the lives of others, I dare say not many!
I think you will find that many born and bred English people also take all the benefits of living in the UK and do not follow the rules of this country.
I do not thinks finger pointing in this way assists us to move forward when we all need to be working together to combat this.
- Keep It Real, London
It does seem sad that the great majority of these stabbings are carried out by black youths, but presumably they come from places in the world where weapons are carried as a matter of course? Of course, many of them are second generation who should have been brought up in the British way of life, but if their parents are perhaps single black mothers or people who take all the benefits of living in the UK and do not follow our way of life, how can we expect the young to know how to behave?
- Jonathan Montmorency, cooden, uk
The Police have lost control. They have (for many years) become politically controlled. Now is the time for the good people of Britain to stand up and be counted... I think you know what I mean.
- Thetruthalwayshurts, Manchester
1st offence warning / probation / community service, 2 offence 6 months, 3rd offence 1-3 years of hard time or option to join the armed services for 4 years. In regards to community service: we should put these youths to work cleaning our streets of litter, removing graffiti and so on.
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
With knife crime again at the forefront of the news, we are hearing about new measures to tackle the problem.
To understand and effectively tackle knife crime, you need to distinguish between simply possessing a knife, and possessing it with intent to cause harm.
Some people, particularly teenagers and other young people, carry knives regularly or occasionally to ward off attackers, or even to defend themselves if they were attacked.
These people are completely different to those who carry knife to attack people and intimidate indiscriminately.
You must keep in mind the fact that the motive for carrying a knife makes a big difference to how the person carrying the knife should be judged.
- Karl Chads, London, UK
In India Still a British law is invoked during riotous days which forbids everybody from carrying knife or any other offensive weapon. Person is automatically fined or sent to jail even for carrying a pen knife.
- Muhammad Siddiq Khatri, London
Jacquie Smith's ranting about 'shock tactics' is rubbish. If I were stabbed, I would sue the government for breach of my human right to be protected. Furthermore, this would not shock the scum that do this evil thing - it would let them glorify in their handiwork, but hey, since when did a politician ever see what was in front of them? We need another Winston Churchill at the top - not a rabbit-scared Gordon Brown and co.
- Joan, London, England
How many of the last 20 victims of stabbings have been black youths, is it a culture problem, or race problem? Surely the punishment must be a minimum of 5years for possession of a knife. We must find a leader in this country that is willing to stand up and be counted i.e Enoch Powell calibre.
- Allen, Caerphilly Wales
The police are not doing all they can, and have no intention of doing so in the future, as it would conflict with the liberal ideology that rules their thinking, and is responsible for the current problems. Ever since the Lawrence Report they have focused on parading their PC credentials at the expense of protecting the public. The result is that white liberals like Sir Ian Blair get to feel morally superior, while everyone else lives in fear, and black kids in particular are in serious danger.
We should get rid of the liberal top coppers, appoint military men in their place, and reintroduce widespread stop and search. If anyone bleats "racism" we should all unite to denounce their unjustified slanders and self-indulgent irresponsibility, and expose them for what they are - people who make life bad for ethnic minorities, just so that they can go around feeling smug and superior.
- Oliver Chettle, Bedford
I agree, carrying a knife should be punished with a very severe sentence.
Thugs would think twice about carrying a knife if they thought they would suffer a strong sentence.
This should include children.
If you're carrying a knife you're intending to cause harm, there's no excuse.
- Gary Daniels, Hackney, London
So much for the Government's assertion that violent crime is down...
Time for tough measures, whether Shami Chakrabarti likes it or not. Too bad if some 'communities' are offended. Better have a few people with hurt feelings than corpses of young people strewn around London.
Minors with knives should be taken into care (together with any younger siblings) and their parents jailed. 16 - 18 year olds should be taken to some sort of boot camp with a very tough regime where they can be taught to be useful citizens. Young adults; caught with a knife = jail. The next person who says we 'should not criminalise' young people, should be asked what planet he/she lives on.
- Beatriz, London
But, but, but there's no longer any room in our jails!
That's why many criminals don't get jail sentences at all and why many other jailed criminals get let out ridiculously early!
In Britain, "punishment no longer fits the crime" due to our wishy-washy, namby-pamby New Labour government!
- Fraser, Telford Park
Bring back National Service, get some of these thugs off of our streets and into the army. Discipline is what is needed, as obviously they do not receive it at home.
- David Nigel Braham, Milan Italy
Please do not unite in horror, but unite in severe action against the terror.
This is terrorism too you know, being terrorised by gangs, duh...
so please law makers stop the gesturing and start acting...
What do I care about my civil liberties if I cannot enjoy, being scared of venturing in the streets at night!
Send those thugs to Bora Bora to fight the Talebans, since they feel so strong killing their fellow Londoners, let us see if that "bravura" will serve against them...
and I am 100% for the re-introduction of the death penalty, you kill without self defence, you die as simple as that...
- Nabil H, London, UK
Sir Ian -- expressing your horror frankly isn't good enough. Get your officers out of their cars and on the streets. A 75 strong task force for the whole of London is a joke.
- Philip, London, England
Lock all gang members or thugs carrying knives up for 20 years. Simple.
- Phil Davy, London
London should follow New York's example from the nineties with a zero tolerance campaign but zero tolerance must remain zero tolerance. No slap on the wrists. Heavy sentences and 'three strikes and your out' life sentences.
- Mark Clark, Rainham, UK
To allow a teenage murderer to serve only 18 months for his crime and then relocate him and his family at the taxpayers expense, shows how cheaply the socialists value our lives today. Words cannot express the anger and contempt I feel for the socialists who have betrayed this country time and time again. They have no desire to get tough on crime otherwise we would not have 20 teenagers dead in London in just over 6 months. They come out with stupid sound bites instead of sound sense. They have trashed the family, trashed traditional morality and filled London with a rag bag of cultures each given its space so that tribal and gang warfare rules. Teenagers are already carrying guns so this is only going to escalate. Please, please Boris reverse the evils of socialism and give us a capital we can be proud of.
- Richard K, Nottingham
Great, so if a murderer gets 18mths. How long will you get for possession? A week? Then you come out with respect from your 'piers', because you've done some time.
Its like the ASBO's, only a step up. Kids aren't worried about those and they wont be worried about this. Its not like their going into solitary is it? They'll go into some low security, sky sports equipped youth wing. Three square meals a day and be introduced to a whole new world of criminal youth. Great.
This country and city needs to seriously toughen up. More police and support from their back office to reduce admin will help. Greater youth education programmes and more sports. Too much investment on a new Routemaster when we could be spending on our children's safety and future.
- Darren, London
